Kofi Annan Addresses UN General Assembly On Terro

Following is the text of the address of
Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the General Assembly on 1
October:

On Friday night, the Security
Council adopted unanimously a broad resolution aimed at
targeting terrorists and those who harbour, aid or support
them. That resolution requires Member States to cooperate
in a wide range of areas -– from suppressing the financing
of terrorism to providing early warning, cooperating in
criminal investigations, and exchanging information on
possible terrorist acts. I applaud the Council for acting
so swiftly to enshrine in law the first steps needed to
carry this fight forward with new vigour and determination.

Now all Member States must make greater efforts to
exchange information about practices that have proved
effective, and lessons that have been learned, in the fight
against terrorism -- so that a global standard of excellence
can be set. The implementation of this resolution will
require technical expertise at the national level. I
encourage States that can offer assistance in this regard to
do so generously and without delay.

Thus far,
the international community has been able to act with
unprecedented speed and unity. On 12 September, both the
General Assembly and the Security Council adopted strong
resolutions condemning the attacks and calling on all States
to cooperate in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Now,
a second and more detailed resolution has been adopted by
the Security Council, building swiftly on the first. Today,
this august Assembly meets to deliberate its own response to
the events of 11 September.

The reason for this
response and unprecedented unity is clear. The terrorist
attacks against the United States -– resulting in the deaths
of some 6,000 people from 80 countries -- were acts of
terrible evil which shocked the conscience of the entire
world.

But out of evil can come good. Paradoxically,
these vicious assaults on our common humanity have had the
effect of reaffirming our common humanity. The very
heartlessness and callous indifference to the suffering and
grief caused to thousands of innocent families has brought a
heartfelt response from millions of ordinary people all over
the world, in many different societies.

The task
now is to build on that wave of human solidarity -– to
ensure that the momentum is not lost, to develop a broad,
comprehensive and above all sustained strategy to combat
terrorism and eradicate it from our world.

This
important meeting of the General Assembly has a critical
role to play in this. It must not be merely symbolic. It
must signal the beginning of immediate, practical and
far-reaching changes in the way this Organization and its
Member States act against terrorism.

Today, the
shock of this crime has united the world. But, my dear
friends, if we are to prevent such crimes from being
committed again, we must stay united as we seek to eliminate
terrorism. In this struggle, there is simply no alternative
to international cooperation. Terrorism will be defeated if
the international community summons the will to unite in a
broad coalition, or it will not be defeated at all. The
United Nations is uniquely positioned to serve as the forum
for this coalition, and for the development of those steps
governments must now take -– separately and together -– to
fight terrorism on a global scale.

The global
reaction to the attacks should give us courage and hope that
we can succeed in this fight. The sight of people gathering
in cities in every part of the world from every religion to
mourn -- and to express solidarity with the people of the
United States -- proves more eloquently than any words that
terrorism is not an issue that divides humanity, but one
that unites it. We are in a moral struggle to fight an evil
that is anathema to all faiths. Every State and every
people has a part to play. This was an attack on humanity,
and humanity must respond to it as one.

The
urgent business of the United Nations must now be to develop
a long-term strategy, in order to ensure global legitimacy
for the struggle ahead. The legitimacy that the United
Nations conveys can ensure that the greatest number of
States are able and willing to take the necessary and
difficult steps -– diplomatic, legal and political -– that
are needed to defeat terrorism.

The Member States that
you represent have a clear agenda before them. It begins
with ensuring that the 12 conventions and protocols on
international terrorism already drafted and adopted under
United Nations auspices are signed, ratified and implemented
without delay by all States.

Two of these
conventions, in particular, can strengthen the fight against
terrorism. First, the International Convention for the
Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, which entered into force
on 23 May this year; and second, the 1999 Convention for the
Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, which so far has

44 signatories and four ratifications. It requires 18
additional ratifications to enter into force, and I hope it
will now be seen as a point of honour for Member States to
sign and ratify this vital convention as soon possible.

While no one imagines that these conventions -– even when
implemented -- will end terrorism on their own, they are
part of the legal framework needed for this effort. I wish
to propose to all Member States that they make it their
first

order of business during the general debate
to sign all the conventions on terrorism, and pledge to work
for their ratification and implementation without delay.

It will also be important to obtain agreement on a
comprehensive convention on international terrorism. In the
post-11 September era, no one can dispute the nature of the
terrorist threat, nor the need to meet it with a global
response. I understand that there are outstanding issues,
which until now have prevented agreement on this convention.
Some of the most difficult issues relate to the definition
of terrorism. I understand and accept the need for legal
precision. But let me say frankly that there is also a need
for moral clarity. There can be no acceptance of those who
would seek to justify the deliberate taking of innocent
civilian life, regardless of cause or grievance. If there
is one universal principle that all peoples can agree on,
surely it is this.

Even in situations of armed
conflict, the targeting of innocent civilians is illegal, as
well as morally unacceptable. And yet, as I have stated in
my two reports on the protection of civilians in armed
conflict, civilian populations are more and more often
deliberately targeted. Indeed, civilians have become the
principal victims of conflict, accounting for an estimated
75 per cent of all casualties.

This demands from all
of us an increased attention to the civilian costs of
conflict. It requires Member States to live up to their
responsibilities under international law. They must deal
firmly with the reality of armed groups and other non-State
actors who refuse to respect common principles of human
dignity.

It is hard to imagine how the tragedy of 11
September could have been worse. Yet, the truth is that a
single attack involving a nuclear or biological weapon could
have killed millions. While the world was unable to prevent
the

11 September attacks, there is much we can do to help
prevent future terrorist acts carried out with weapons of
mass destruction. The greatest danger arises from a
non-State group -- or even an individual -- acquiring and
using a nuclear, biological, or chemical weapon. Such a
weapon could be delivered without the need for any missile
or any other sophisticated delivery system.

In
addition to measures taken by individual Member States, we
must now strengthen the global norm against the use or
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This means,
among other actions:

-- Redoubling efforts to ensure
the universality, verification and full implementation of
key treaties relating to weapons of mass destruction,
including those outlawing chemical and biological weapons
and the nuclear non-proliferation treaty;

-- Promoting
cooperation among international organizations dealing with
these weapons;

-- Tightening national legislation
over exports of goods and technologies needed to manufacture
weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery;
and

-- Developing new efforts to criminalize the
acquisition or use of weapons of mass destruction by
non-State groups.

In addition, we need to strengthen
controls over other types of weapons that pose grave dangers
through terrorist use. This means doing more to ensure a
ban on the sale of small arms to non-State groups; making
progress in eliminating landmines; improving the physical
protection of sensitive industrial facilities, including
nuclear and chemical plants; and increased vigilance against
cyberterrorist threats.

As we summon the will and the
resources to succeed in the struggle against terrorism, we
must also care for all the victims of terrorism, whether
they are the direct targets or other populations who will be
affected by our common effort. That is why I have launched
an alert to donors about the potential need for much more
generous humanitarian assistance to the people of
Afghanistan.

This appeal is only the most urgent
part of our determination to continue to care for those
suffering from poverty, disease and conflict around the
world. The work of the United Nations in promoting
development, resolving long-standing disputes, and fighting
ignorance and prejudice are even more important today than
they were before 11 September.

The victims of the
attacks on 11 September were, first and foremost, the
innocent civilians who lost their lives, and their families
who now grieve for them. But peace, tolerance, mutual
respect, human rights, the rule of law and the global
economy are all among the casualties of the terrorists’
acts.

In conclusion, let me say that repairing the
damage done to the fabric of the international community -–
restoring trust among peoples and cultures -– will not be
easy. But just as a concerted international response can
make the work of terrorists much harder to accomplish, so
should the unity born out of this tragedy bring all nations
together in defence of the most basic right -– the right of
all peoples to live in peace and security. This is the
challenge before us as we seek to eliminate the evil of
terrorism.

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